Lost Moments
by A-ya Halloway
Summary: Mini series that takes a peek into the life and times of Zack Fair.
1. Beginning Healing

**Characters**: Zack/Sephiroth

**Summary**: Sephiroth and Zack in the aftermath of Angeal's death.

* * *

The dull slap of booted feet pounded along to the beat of anger in General Sephiroth's mind. He had refused to let grief be at the forefront of his mind, but even the great indifferent SOLDIER's thoughts and actions were influenced by human emotions. Which was the basis of the silver's fury towards Zack Fair.

One task was all he needed of the boy. Just one thing; Bring Angeal home.

How could the younger raven actually have the gall to fail this mission? As Angeal's apprentice and a silver-tongued socialite there was no reason he should have failed. There was no reason- _none_- that he, Sephiroth, should lose one of the only two things he could honestly claim as his. A low growl escaped from deep in his throat as these thoughts pressed him onward. _How dare he…. How dare he…. How _dare_ he…._

Sephiroth had already paid a visit to Lazard, demanding to know where Zack was. The director (actually seeming properly intimidated) quickly gave the most likely location- the simulation room, at least that was where reports placed him last.

The room itself was locked for the first time Sephiroth could remember. Along with several confused and annoyed employees of the Science Department milling about the entrance- all of which fled with their tails between their legs when they caught sight of the thunderous look on the General's face. Ignoring the fools that stared from across the room, the male gave one swift kick to the door. The heavy steel bent like paper and swung inward with a protesting moan.

Stomping inside, green mako eyes glared about in search of the raven. Said SOLDIER was spotted in the middle of the simulation chamber. Zack lay motionless on the raised steel, the visual helmet forcing his head to rest at an odd and uncomfortable angle. There were cuts, bruises, and he even had to wonder if the bones were damaged as well. How long had Zack been fighting?

Seeing the younger male in this state forced Sephiroth to calm the irrational emotions and inspect him properly. Just as he had thought, Zack was bruised all the way to the bones. But, perhaps the worst of his appearance were the tracks on his face through the caked blood that seemed to begin at his closed eyes. Foolish boy…. there was no reason for him to be so damaged. Even a fight with Angeal would not have left this much wounded flesh. A small sigh. He could not stay angry. Not at him like this.

The first sensation to return was physical pain- places the month-old 1st didn't realize still existed ached. However, when the second thing to return was his memories of the past few days, how much his body hurt was nothing compared to the hurt in his heart. It just… It just wasn't _fair_!

Though it caused more aching, a hand clenched around something as he tried to hold back the hot tears. If they fell, Gaia if they fell he knew there would be no stopping himself.

"There is a Potion beside you."

Zack shot up onto his knees, somehow ignoring the immediate need to fall right back down and cry for a different reason.

"Sephiroth?" He croaked out, rubbing at his eye with the butt of his palm a bit. By then awareness was piecing together the facts of where he was. On a bed in a room that, while like his in terms of layout, was bigger and sparse aside from the king-sized bed and a mahogany desk at the other side. Considering who the only other inhabitant currently, and the furnishings, (and the occasional peek Zack had glimpsed) he was in Sephiroth's room. On Sephiroth's bed. While Sephiroth himself leaned against the wall about two feet away. "Why-?"

"Drink the Potion."

Well he couldn't very well disobey a direct order when it was spoken with that flat no-nonsense tone. So being a good pup, Zack picked up the healing concoction and gulped it down. The effect was instant, he could just feel his whole body ease off the pain. Praise whomever had the idea for Potions! He could move now without also the accompanying screaming of nerves being too much, so he attempted to get out of the very comfortable General's bed. He was stopped however, by the feeling of a warm hand on the top of his hair. Blinking curiously, Zack tilted his head back a bit to get a better look at the other male's face- which was, for some reason, turned away and mostly hidden behind long silvery bangs.

"Go back to sleep. You need to finish healing before you attempt to destroy yourself again." His voice sounded so flat and empty. No human emotions seemed taint it. To anyone outside of this room, they would have thought the icy man was turning the thermostat below freezing towards the pup despite allowing him to use the bed. Yet Zack could see him. The posture of Sephiroth clearly stated that he didn't want anyone to see him vulnerable. At least it was clear to Zack that the silver was in just as much emotional turmoil as he was. And who could blame the either of them?

Desperately, the raven latched onto Sephiroth's arm with both of his hands when he tried to pull away. He had so much he wanted to say, but all he was able to say a broken sounding, "I…. I'm so sorry I tried but.. I'm sorry."

Nothing. No response from him. Zack knew the silence wasn't from anger on the silver's part, Sephiroth would not be touching him, or allow Zack to touch him, if he was upset with him. No, it had to be the shared sorrow that had him wordless.

"Apology accepted, now go to sleep Zack." Said puppy lifted his head from where it had fallen forward to once again blink curiously at the elder. Now Sephiroth was looking at him. Again, Zack felt the warmth of his hand as he stroked back unruly black bangs. Green mako held a tired sadness, the eyes of someone who didn't wish to have the sorrow linger longer than absolutely necessary. A nod was the response, lightly so that hand wouldn't be shaken off, and Zack closed aching blue while nuzzling his calming hand.

Perhaps, one wonders why Sephiroth would reach out to a boy he barely knew, and Zack would claim that Sephiroth was just imitating Angeal's tendency to ruffle his hair as a form of comfort. It might have also been that, an understanding of another human being's pain for the first time in his life caused the supposedly cold man to warm up faster to Zack than he would have normally.

Either way, as one lay down on the red/black-dotted white sheets and the other turned to leave to file paperwork for the simulation room, both felt certain that they had their hearts healed, if just a little.


	2. Happy Birthday Cloud

**Characters**: Cloud/Zack

**Summary**: Zack- while in Hojo's labs in Nibelheim- realizes it's Cloud's birthday.

* * *

Various lights danced and swirled with rhyme or reason. Slowly they would condense into something almost familiar. A room. No windows. One door. It was a room of white- white that was stained with colors of red and silver. Those came to focus as well. They were tools. Sharp. Pointed. Surgical; Medical…. and they were stained with red.

A faint sound was a droplet hitting liquid echoed throughout the cleared vision of the room. The room shifted to show a two separate, yet interconnecting containers of more red. A line of red was attached to the bottom, then trailed out of sight. The sound happened again as a drop of red fell from the top container into the smaller that held smaller amount of red.

_It's blood._

That single thought cleared away some of the heavy fog. Why though, why was there a fog…

_My name… What was my name….._

"Test subject has expressed responses sir. Should we continue with the procedure?"

"Yes."

That voice. I know that voice.

_Hojo…_

"Very well sir."

_Zack. That's right my name is Zack Fair… Where am I?_

The effort it took to turn my head again, turn back to the people I heard, it seemed wrong. Like it was too difficult. Turning my head. It should be easy..

The sight that met my eyes was of Hojo- him and a random man- standing by an examination table. I couldn't see who was on it, but when I saw the table, I knew I was on one too. I could feel the cold steel. Was I in a hospital? No, no I couldn't be. Hojo wasn't the type of man to work in a hospital. So a lab of some kind. But why was I in a lab? What reason was I here?

I grasped for an answer in my mind. Scraped and clawed for anything. The clouds that weighed my mind remained intact.

Clouds.. The scientists moved away from the other table. I saw blond hair, fluffy and spiked up in a strange way.

_Cloud. My friend Cloud…. test subject._

I felt a cold twist in my heart. Cloud. Hojo's test subject… No. I had to help Cloud get away from that creep. Save him from whatever awful plans he had.

I tried to move. I swear I did. Yet nothing happened. I was too weak to do anything. The attempts were making my body tire too fast- I couldn't stay awake like this. I had to help Cloud. I had to…

Too late. The world was going black.

_Cloud…_

When my eyes opened again, everything seemed more clear. I still remembered my name, remembered where I assumed I was. My eyes had also opened to show me that Cloud still lay in the room with me. The other man was still there. I had to wait to reach Cloud for now. What was that he was saying?

"…ct has gone into a comatose state. It is unknown if he will awaken again. Date; August eleventh…"

I stopped listening then, something told me that today was important. Very important. I had to remember why…

The man was still murmuring something as he pushed Cloud's table over nearer to mine. Then he left the two of us alone.

Once more a tried to move. This time my hand decided to listen and I took a hold of my friend's hand. How hard it was to move even my hand… I felt like I had just gone three rounds with a summon almost. There was no way I could save us like this…

_I remember now. August eleventh.. Today was Cloud's birthday._

My throat constricted and my lips moved- but no sound came out. Damn this weak feeling. I had to say it. Failure with this one thing I could do was not an option.

So I tried again. "Haa.."

And again. "Eee

C'mon I had to. "B..irth..day… C..Cloud.."

Too much effort. I wasn't going to stay conscious much longer.

_I'm going to get you out of here._

I would do it.

_You'll see another birthday._

I mean it.

"Pr…om…..ise…."


End file.
